Nordlaks has stocked fish for the first time in its offshore farming tank Storbåtsegga, marking a new stage in the company’s long-running closed containment development project.
A total of 68,464 salmon with an average weight of 5.1 kg were transferred into the unit on Wednesday, according to a company statement.
The structure, previously known as Hydra, was delivered to Vesterålen in November after a 16 to 17-day tow from a shipyard in Turkey.
Nordlaks said it had been working since November to complete systems and prepare the tank to receive fish.
Operations director Bjarne Johansen said the project had taken longer and proved more demanding than initially expected, but described the stocking milestone as an important step forward.
The Storbåtsegga project is being closely watched as part of wider industry efforts to develop alternative production systems combining offshore exposure with greater biological control.
